Gary Dourdan may soon be leaving the Emmy Award-winning forensic drama but that doesn't mean that he's hanging up his CSIgarb for good. As reported recently, the 41-year-old actor, who plays audio-video analyst Warrick Brown, will be departing from the show he has been a part of since 2000.

TV Guide, which first reported the news of Dourdan's departure, reveals it was the star who informed producers that he would be leaving the show rather than the other way around. No timetable for his exit has been announced, but his contract is set to expire next month, making the show's May 15 finale the likeliest venue for Warrick Brown's final bow.

While producers of CSI are already looking for a new series regular to play Ray Santoro, a “handsome, smart and athletic” investigator, as a replacement to fill in Dourdan's absence, fans will be pleased to know that there is still a chance that Dourdan will reprise his role with occasional guest appearances in the coming seasons, according to a show insider.

The reported departure of Dourdan comes on the heels of series regular Jorja Fox leaving the show in November. Just like Dourdan, Fox may also reprise her role as Sara Sidle someday, though not in a full-time capacity.

During Dourdan's eight-year stint on the forensic drama, he won an Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2003 and 2006. Prior to CSI, Dourdan got his first break when he was cast as Shazza Zulu on the television series A Different World. He soon landed movie roles in Alien: Resurrection, Fool's Paradise and Scar City, until he nabbed a recurring role on the Showtime series Soul Food.

Dourdan, who also stars in the upcoming movie Doorman and Batman: Gotham Knight, has yet to reveal his reason for leaving CSI.